Urban gardening in Vienna: growing vegetables in the Neustift cemetery!

Urban gardening in Vienna: growing vegetables in the Neustift cemetery!

Not only flowers sprout in Vienna, but also vegetables. Urban gardening has become established in the city's cemeteries, and since March 2025 the Neustift cemetery has also been the focus of the green hobby. In this special place, Viennese gardeners have the opportunity to grow fresh vegetables in pre-planted areas without disturbing active grave sites. As the Today According to reports, ten new vegetable beds have already been handed over to users there.

The initiative, which was launched in collaboration with the “Ackerhelden”, offers gardeners the choice between two sizes of area: 24 m² or 40 m². Before handover, the beds had already been planted with high-quality organic vegetable crops, and the fruit and vegetables that are harvested here are all certified organic. “Cemeteries are more than just places of remembrance; they are also places of encounter and environmental commitment,” explains Renate Niklas, Managing Director of Friedhöfe Wien GmbH.

Special features of urban gardening

The urban gardening offer was already available at the Central Cemetery and the Southwest Cemetery. The beds have proven to be extremely popular in these areas: around 75 percent of users have already booked their space again for 2025. This great demand led to the offer now being expanded to NeustiftWiese.

The participants are not left alone: ​​expert “field heroes” are available to provide advice and support and help with cultivation, care and harvesting. In addition, gardeners have everything they need available on site - from gardening tools to irrigation water. This all-round support is particularly valuable for those who may be venturing into gardening for the first time.

Access and booking

Participation in this green project is initially only available to users of the digital grave, which has been integrated into every grave complex free of charge since 2020. Those interested can create their bed via the website Cemeteries Vienna Book in the “Exclusive & New” section while stocks last. If you have any questions or want to book, on-site advice as well as support by telephone and email are available.

Users can also set up their digital memorial spaces and carry out term extensions, providing a modern connection to traditional memorial practices. This innovative combination of gardening and commemoration is well received by Viennese people - not only as an activity, but also as an important contribution to environmental commitment in the city Vienna district newspaper reported.

With this initiative, Vienna shows that cemeteries not only represent sadness and silence, but can also bloom and thrive - between graves and cucumbers, so to speak!